Peridot - The August Birthstone

There are lots of disadvantages to having an August birthday - being the youngest in class at school, having a birthday during the summer holidays but having peridot as your birthstone makes up for at least some of this.

Peridots are unique.

They are found in volcanic rock and some meteors. The largest and most prized peridots are found in Myanmar (formerly Burma) along with some of the best precious stones, particularly rubies. Today most peridot is mined by Native Americans in Arizona on the San Carlos Reservation.

If you go to Cologne Cathedral you will see huge 200+ carat peridots adorning the shrine of the three magi. In the world of peridots, 200 carats is huge as this semi-precious stone is usually available only in small sizes.

Peridot varies in colour from lime green to bottle green; the darker the colour the higher the iron content.

If you have a sixteenth wedding anniversary on the calendar, then peridot is the gemstone to give.
Peridot looks magnificent whether set in gold or silver.